Do I need to pre-order my 2010 Prius?

I'm sure there will be plenty in stock this time. totally different economy with this introduction.

 

I had another thread on this, and my feeling is that given the economy and the current price of gas, it's *probably* not a requirement. I also felt that leaving a deposit would weaken any negotiating position I might have (e.g., the dealer knows I really want this car, so why should they move much on price?). Some other folks wondered what one would do if the dealer went out of business while holding your refundable deposit.

So, I'm waiting until the car is out and at the dealers before I make a move. If you need to have the car when it becomes available, then you may want to leave a deposit. Personally, I can wait if there's a longer wait list since my current car is running fine (knocks on wood!).

Not sure if this helps. It's basically your call on what you need and when you need it.



--DotComCTO

 

The local dealer let me give them an exact description of what I wanted and they said they will "preference" my order in April with some starting to trickle in sometime in May. It seems like a happy medium to me. There's no deposit, and the dealer isn't obligated either, but they will at least try to get my particular model/features in sooner than normal.